National Broadband Task Force
The National Broadband Task Force was an initiative of the Government of Canada whose mandate was established in 2001 by the Canadian Minister of Industry,[1] at that time Brian Tobin.
The Task Force was chaired by David Lloyd Johnston, and its report was delivered on June 18, 2001.[2]
Mandate
The initiative sought "to map out a strategy for achieving the Government of Canada's goal of ensuring that broadband services are available to businesses and residents in every Canadian community by 2004."[1]
Recommendations
The Task Force recommended four overall "priorities" for achieving basic broadband access by 2004:[3]
- Transport Link: "All communities should be linked to national broadband networks via a high-speed, high-capacity and scalable transport link."
- First Nation, Inuit, Rural and Remote Communities: "The priority of the broadband deployment strategy should be to link all First Nation, Inuit, rural and remote communities to national broadband networks".
- Public institutions: "The local broadband access infrastructure should be extended to the community's public facilities, including every public learning institution, public health care facility, public library and other designated public access points."
- Connecting Businesses and Residences: "The local broadband access infrastructure should also be extended to local business and residential users, for example, by leveraging broadband infrastructure serving public facilities."
Membership
The membership of the National Broadband Task Force included web-linked members in Clarenville, Newfoundland and Labrador; Ottawa; Sioux Lookout, Ontario; and Iqaluit, Nunavut.
Chair
David Lloyd Johnston, President, University of Waterloo
Members
Vic Allen, Chief Executive Officer and Vice-Chair, Upper Canada Networks (UCNet)
Louis Audet, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cogeco Inc.
Kathy Baldwin, Superintendent, School District 14, 15 and 16, Miramichi, New Brunswick
Brian Beaton, Co-ordinator, K-Net Services, Keewaytinook Okimakanak in Sioux Lookout, Ontario
Andrew Bjerring, President and Chief Executive Officer, CANARIE Inc.
Larry Boisvert, President and Chief Executive Officer, Telesat Canada
Pierre Bouchard, President and Chief Executive Officer, RISQ Inc., Quebec Scientific Information Network
Donald Ching, President and Chief Executive Officer, SaskTel
Hubert de Pesquidoux, President and Chief Executive Officer, Alcatel Canada
Denis Dionne, President, Montreal Technovision Inc.
Darren Entwistle, President and Chief Executive Officer, Telus
Adamee Itorcheak, President, Nunanet Worldwide Communications
John Kelly, Principal, Reid Eddison Inc.
Philippa Lawson, Counsel, Public Interest Advocacy Centre
William Linton, President and Chief Executive Officer, Call-Net Enterprises Inc.
Mary Macdonald, President, Macdonald and Associates Ltd.
Michael MacMillan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Alliance Atlantis Communications Inc.
John McLennan, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, AT&T Canada
David Marshall, Vice-Chairman, Electronic Commerce, Technology and Operations, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
Gerry Miller, Executive Director, Information Services and Technology, University of Manitoba
Wendy Newman, Chief Executive Officer, Brantford Public Library
Brendan Paddick, President, Regional Cablesystems Inc.
Michael Sabia, President, BCE Inc. and Vice Chairman, Corporate, Bell Canada
Jim Shaw, Chief Executive Officer, Shaw Communications Inc.
Gerri Sinclair, President and Chief Executive Officer, NCompass Labs
Charles Sirois, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Telesystem Ltd.
Carol Stephenson, President and Chief Executive Officer, Lucent Technologies Canada Corp.
Allister Surette, President and Chief Executive Officer, Collège de l'Acadie
John Tory, President and Chief Executive Officer, Rogers Cable Inc.
Pamela Walsh, President, College of the North Atlantic
Dr. Mamoru Watanabe, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary
John Wetmore, Vice President, IBM.com, Americas
Stephen Wetmore, President and Chief Executive Officer, Aliant Inc.
Participating Associations
Canadian Association of Broadcasters
Canadian Association of Internet Providers
Canadian Cable Television Association
Canadian School Board Association
Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association
CATA Alliance
Federation of Canadian Municipalities
Information Technology Association of Canada